Noumea, New Cadelonia (3/17/23)
Our stop in Noumea was short. Docked at 7a and had to be back onboard by 11:30a. I signed up for the Best of Noumea tour since it was such a short stop. It was a good tour and our tour guide was top notch.
French is the official language of the archipelago, and is home to only 270,000 residents. Interestingly, it was home to over 1,000,000 US Troops in WWII and the lasting impact on the island chain is undeniable. The Cadelonians speak very highly of the US presence, and although no battles were fought here, it was an important stronghold in the South Pacific. The island is home to the Kanak's (indigenous Malaysian population) that speak over 27 different dialects.
The Aquarium (Aquarium des lagons) is world-renowned. It's a small site, but holds many "firsts" in the world including the first place to see fluorescent coral and the first place to have grown coral in an aquarium. We were fortunate to visit the aquarium when closed to the public, which provided a much enjoyable experience.
I love jellyfish...not necessarily when I am snorkeling but they are beautiful creatures and were exquisite to photograph.
We also visited a church. The island is home to primarily Protestant and Catholics religions, like much of the South Pacific from what I am told. Die tot he British and French Missionaries sent here in the 1800s. The island gets its name from a herald back to the Celtic city of Cadelonia in Scotland, as it reminded Captain Cook of his homeland!
Back onboard, I worked for several hours helping new and repeat clients get prequalified! It's so exciting to be able to work and travel... and it's obviously a bit different than working from Colorado but Caden, Patricia and myself are figuring it out and have successfully closed 4 loans since I left on March 7th, including a cash-out refi in just over a week!
It's important to remind myself and all of you friendly readers, that this is not simply a year of fun and frolic around the world. I simply do not have 110 days of vacation or unlimited funds to spend so frivolously...so work I may and work I must. Thank you for your continued support and business!
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It's also exciting to formally announce that I am now licensed to originate loans in CO and now Florida! I hope to be spending more time in the Sunshine State and building some business there. It seems more and more Coloradoans are venturing beyond AZ and TX for winter homes and I certainly would like to help be apart of making that happen. It's also noteworthy that I'll enjoy spending more time harassing my new mates Will and Craig, Champagne Cherrie and hope to get over to visit Jason and Patrick in Ft Lauderdale , Nicole in Tampa, and countless Yooper friends that call southwestern FL home.
Off the shameless biz plug and back onboard for the summary of Friday, March 17th: the afternoon consisted of a lounger by the pool, a green cocktail to celebrate St Patrick's Day, some time in the casino and dinner with the crew, where it's noted that quiet little Paula from Brazil, who's barely spoken a word all cruise, was unleashed after a few cocktails and some complementary bubbly from the casino. She made for a humorous evening, much at the expense of Matt, the tables resident comedian who had the tables turned and took a bit of a lashing (in a friendly way) for the evening. We celebrated Georgie's bday, table singing along yet again after their performance earlier in the week for my own celebration, and we lingered a bit longer than normal around the table after dessert, knowing that this has been fun and is soon coming to a close...
A few more drinks at the Alchemy Bar and a trip to the nightclub ensued before I wandered back to my cabin around 1a.
Thoughts on my first real overseas trip, first visit to Aussieland and the South Pacific: it's been nice and I'll definitely come back and visit. I think I have a few new mates that'll show me more of the local sites on a return visit, and definitely plan on visiting Sydney, Melbourne and Tassie on when I return.
The water, underwater wildlife and scenery has been absolutely stunning, but what has been most noteworthy has been the people. The Aussies I've encountered, and there have been MANY have all gone out of their way to make a solo, middle-aged gay traveler from the US feel more than welcomed. Warm hearts and friendly smiles are the takeaways.
The good news, I still have today, a day in Brisbane on Sunday where most of the ~2800 guest onboard will disembark, and then I'll reboard and spend the next 4 nights on my shortest cruise ever up to Airlie (Air-Le) beach and a trip to explore the Great Barrier Reef.
Hoping to post some photos of Noumea soon! I have to download them from the camera, which is a bit of an ordeal and I don't want to leave the Serenity Deck pool quite yet, so I'll leave you with this singular photo for this post.
Colorado Over and Out
-Cole
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